NAGOYA (Kyodo) Textile maker Miyuki Keori Co. said Monday it has developed a fabric it claims can prevent pollen from clinging to it with the help of nanotechnology, which could be a boon to people with hay fever.
The Nagoya-based company, controlled by Miyuki Holdings Co., said it plans to start selling men's winter suits made of the fabric between late August and September.
It said a myriad of particles with a diameter of about 30 nanometers are attached to the surface of threads used in the new fabric. One nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter.
The nanotechnology was employed in the process of attaching the tiny particles to the threads' surface, Miyuki Keori said, adding the particles help block pollen from getting into gaps on fabric.
In addition, the company said the fabric is tightly woven to minimize gaps between threads and prevent pollen from sticking to the cloth.
Due to the advances, up to 96 percent of pollen that falls on the cloth can be brushed off by hand, compared with 60 percent to 70 percent in conventional textiles, the company said.
The new suits will be priced at 100,000 yen to 120,000 yen and sold at department stores nationwide.
This year, the amount of pollen from cedar and other trees is estimated to have been about 100 times as much as last year in many parts of Japan, to make for one of the worst years on record, according to the Environment Ministry.